1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a rear view mirror for use in substituted replacement of an original equipment mirror conventionally provided on a motor vehicle. More specifically, the invention concerns a concavo-convex replacement mirror which provides the operator of the motor vehicle on which it is mounted with an angular and continuous field of view greater than that provided by the original equipment flat plane mirror and nonreleasably secured to and over the original equipment mirror in an advantageously simplified manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Secondary mirrors mountable directly to a portion of the reflective viewing surface of the standard flat plane, side mount, rear-view mirror conventionally provided by the manufacturers of motor vehicles are known. For example, King U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,274 teaches the placement of a small, circular, convex mirror atop a portion of the surface of a larger original equipment mirror to form a combination unit characterized by the limited field of view of the flat plane mirror, interrupted by the attached secondary mirror and its somewhat enhanced field of view. Other prior art discloses equivalent and related arrangements utilizing small secondary replacement mirrors for providing a discontinuous but expanded reflected view to the rear and sides of the vehicle, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,200,359 (Lawson), 4,311,363 (Marsalka et al.), 4,223,983 (Bloom), 4,293,191 (Kim) and 4,306,770 (Marhaver). The addition of a small secondary mirror mounted atop a portion of the surface of the original equipment side-mount, flat plane, rear-view mirror of a vehicle to create a combination mirror is thus known. However, in such arrangements the presence of the secondary mirror interferes with the otherwise continuous field of view of the primary mirror and the discontinuity at the juncture of the two reflective surfaces can be confusing and frequently disorienting to the operator of a moving motor vehicle seeking to utilize the resulting combination in investigating the presence of other vehicles to the sides and rear of his own. Moreover, the relatively small size of the secondary mirrors taught by the prior art fails to assure a sufficient reflective surface area effective for a usefully expanded and undistorted field of view. A suitable replacement mirror mountable over and providing a complete substitute for the original equipment flat plane mirror, one which provides the operator with an expanded field of view of the area to the sides and rear of a motor vehicle without introducing the disorienting effects or distortion of the prior art, has not heretofore been available.